I’m embarking on a series of posts about going gluten free on a budget to help others who are struggling with keeping their food expenses manageable. Today’s post deals with just the basics: how to get started, and some simple tips for saving money on your grocery bill.
3- Check Flyers &
Coupons and Shop All at Once: Every
Thursday we get a paper with all the flyers for the week. This is why I grocery shop either Thursday
night or Friday. Sometimes I have to go
and pick something up during the week, but I try to keep that to a
minimum. The more you shop, the more you
spend. In case you’re wondering, I don’t
shop at ten different stores. I shop at
two: One with generally lower prices overall, and another that carries certain
items the first does not. I check the
flyers for those two stores and make note of the sales. That doesn’t mean I run out and buy ten packs
of whatever’s on sale, but it does mean that if chicken’s on sale, there will
probably be a few chicken dishes on the menu plan that week. I ignore sale items of things that I don’t
use, and only buy in bulk if it’s a buy one get one free type deal.
Tip: Don’t get
sucked in to buying something just because it’s on sale. If you wouldn’t buy it
anyway, it’s not really a deal for you.
4- Menu Plan for the
Week & Shop with a List: If you’re a "cook what you feel like in the
moment” kind of person, this tip might take some getting used to. The truth is that it takes some planning to
have inexpensive but delicious gluten free meals on the table day in and day
out. Not planning ahead increases the
chances that you’ll be serving super expensive prepackaged meals on a regular
basis. I menu plan every week, for dinners mostly, so that I can write a proper
grocery list and not just wander the aisles aimlessly picking up whatever looks
good. It has not only made my life
easier during the week, but has also drastically cut down my grocery bill. It takes about 30 minutes a week to scan the
flyers, decide on meals, and make a grocery list (more at first, but practice
makes perfect.) I check flyers, and
decide on five dinners for the week ahead.
Then I make a list of what I need for the meals, plus all the other
basics I generally buy. I use the list
at the store and don’t buy on impulse. Weekends are usually for leftovers.
Tip: Break your
list into categories to help you really see what you’re actually buying. This
will make things like prepackaged items really stand out. The
categories I use are: Dairy, Meat, Fruits & Vegetables, Frozen, Grocery
(canned & dry goods, prepackaged snacks), Household (cleaning supplies,
toilet paper, etc.) For meal ideas, check out my MENU PLANS and RECIPES
tabs.
5- Choose one area to
makeover at a time: Maybe buying
gluten free cereals and bread products for breakfast takes up a lot of your
budget. Focus on overhauling breakfast
for a few weeks. Perhaps it’s all the
snacks that cost too much. Plan a week’s
worth of healthy snacks before you shop.
Baby steps. For more ideas, check my TIPS & TRICKS tab.
Tip: Sometimes we
think that if it comes from a package, it must be more convenient. Not necessarily. It doesn’t take very long to scramble an egg
or grab a handful of grapes. Focusing on
one area at a time can take away some of the pressure and allow you to adjust
to some new foods while still keeping most of your diet familiar.
Some great tips here and not just for those on GF restrictions. Especially like your tip in #1 (group specialty items at the end of your check-out). This is a great idea. Will also work for anyone who runs a home-based business (i.e. daycare) and can deduct % of grocery bills at tax time.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I need to re-read and really look at my budget!
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